Paradise VI
by Dakk Tribal
Summary: Despite not knowing where they are, former general Celes and Returner member Locke decide to make the best of their time on a mysterious island to learn more about each other, and find something neither of them knew they were gonna find / Celes Locke fluff, set during FFVI, maybe a lemon later
1. Chapter 1

A surprising amount of warmth overcame Locke's face, and the perspiration generated by it woke him up from his sleep.

A dark shade of green was what he saw first, and that was all he could see.

'What is this...?'

He raised his head and the bright light of the sun came in through the windows and blinded him momentarily. Once his eyes normalized he got a better look of what he saw, and right away he regretted it.

Mere inches from his face was the chest of a woman, his face had been buried deep in it. Feeling like his head was going to explode Locke got up and stood back. As he did so he covered the lower half of his face with his hands, and he also saw who it was he had been lying on.

Luckily it was a woman he knew, which was also a bad thing.

Celes Chere, a very beautiful woman who just happened to be an ex-general of the Gestahl Empire, was out like a light on the mattress. She had armor on her arms and shoulders, and a tight green leotard that barely covered her upper body was where Locke's face had just been. Her legs were bare, even her boots had been removed.

Despite the predicament Locke couldn't help but think of how beautiful Celes looked, and while he knew he shouldn't he watched her for a few moments before she started to move.

Celes sat up and stretched her arms over her head, momentarily oblivious to the treasure hunter who was standing in front of her trying to prevent his head from exploding.

When she finally did notice him, her expression went from serene to stern and she got off the bed. "Locke, what's going on?"

The adventurer shrugged his shoulders, "Not sure. Just woke up and found us in this room-" His face was red as an apple and luckily for him Celes didn't notice.

She stood up and reached for her left hip but there was nothing there. Her sword was gone. "Blast it."

A set of knocks came from a door nearby, and they both looked at each other. Being stuck in a room they had never been in before in a strange land with no clue how they got there. Not sure of what to make of it, as well as being without her sword, Celes instead reached for one of the chairs at the table and wielded it like a weapon.

Locke instantly got into his combat attitude, standing up against the corner that led to the door and Celes stood beside him, ready to attack with her chair at a moment's notice.

From around the corner Locke heard the door open and he tightly clenched his fists when he saw the cart followed by the moogle that was pushing it along.

"Kupo! Mog's Room Service here to bring you breakfast, kupo!"

Locke gave a sigh of relief and waved off Celes' weapon. "Just a moogle."

Celes put the chair down, but her expression hadn't changed. She was still ready for a fight.

The unsuspecting moogle came into the room and was greeted by Locke. The threat of an attack thwarted for now, Locke's attitude changed to be a bit more casual, and he took a seat at the table. "Hey there."

The moogle was totally unaware of how close he came to being smacked with a chair, and the woman who had wielded said chair was still on edge. "Breakfast is served, kupo!"

Celes wasn't convinced, "Locke, how can you eat at a time like this?"

The adventurer was starting to eat, a fork in one hand and a knife in the other like he hadn't a care in the world. "What do you mean?"

"This place, wherever it is, is very suspicious to me. We don't know if we're in danger-"

"If we were in any immediate danger, I don't think they'd send an adorable little moogle to kill us, right? Kind of pathetic if you ask me-" Locke turned to the clearly offended creature, "No offense little guy."

"None taken, kupo." He was still offended.

Celes huffed, her hands on her hips like she meant business. "You're so infuriating at times."

The man winked at her, "All part of my charm. Now, before we actually have to fight, let's eat."

Shaking her head as she knew there was no changing the mind of this incorrigible man, Celes gave up and sat down in the chair. "Still doesn't answer where we are."

"Mog's Resort, kupo!" The moogle floated in place, his pom-pom gently bouncing back and forth. "It's a very beautiful place secluded from the rest of the world. It's truly a paradise, a gem of an island, especially when you are with someone special, kupo."

Locke took a sip of his water glass. If he had taken anything bigger than that he might have choked. "So, what is the resort, some sort of honeymoon hot spot?" He laughed as he joked.

Thing was, the moogle wasn't laughing. "Something like that, kupo."

Locke stopped laughing and gave a look at Celes.

The normally serious or stoic general had a face as red as the moogle's pom-pom.


	2. Chapter 2

The first thing Locke noticed when he entered the jungle was how natural it all looked despite all the work the moogles put it into it to make it safe. Lightly treaded paths were clearly marked with little flags sticking out of the ground. The plant life was unlike anything that Locke had seen before, and the trees went bent any and every direction and their bark was covered in the dampness generated by the heat in the jungle. The sun was barely peeking through in most places in the canopy which was mostly covered by vegetation.

It was quite a place, just like the rest of the island, but as Locke ventured deeper he began to realize something was off.

Where was the general?

After thinking for a moment he snapped his fingers and found himself smiling humorously.

He turned around and called out to a small batch of bushes, "You going to come out?"

Soon after a crop of golden blonde hair was seen popping out from the bushes, and Celes came out looking rather beside herself.

"I swear I will hurt those moogles!"

Locke shrugged his shoulders at her outburst, "Why? This is a great place."

"They gave me the most unflattering outfit to wear, it is NOT okay! I was a general once for crying out loud!"

Not being able to help himself Locke took a look at her. The swimsuit she wore was a form fitting light green one piece with intricate gold lining. It wasn't much different from the outfit she was wearing earlier.

Locke hadn't been left out either. His outfit was changed into a pair of blue shorts and a thin fabric blue t-shirt. His was okay, but when it came to Celes…well, though she tried to show herself as a strong woman she was currently showing off her feminine side in a way most men would find irresistible. Strong but still being a bit shy and vulnerable, at least that is what Locke thought.

'If anything her swimsuit covers her more than her last outfit', he thought with a smile. He was also certain of one thing though: she looked no less beautiful than before, in fact he thought she was more beautiful than before.

Celes wasn't trying to cover herself or anything, she was more mature than that and not to mention the resemblance to her previous garb was not lost on her, but she had been comfortable in that because when she wore that people knew who she was and treated her accordingly. Here, surrounded by moogles on an island she had never been to before and with a man who was only just the other day a rebel hunted by the Empire, she felt so out of place she felt like she'd crumble at a moment's notice.

And Locke was smiling at her like he didn't notice her dilemma.

"You think this is funny?"

Locke shook his head, "Those moogles did say that we needed better clothes to explore the island."

"I would have preferred to choose my own outfit, thank you very much," Celes said as she went around a tree, avoiding the man entirely. Then she got an idea. "Maybe I won't hurt the moogles," she said aloud as she stopped beside the adventurer.

"Oh? That was a quick turnaround," he replied.

She turned to him and grabbed the collar of his shirt, "No, maybe I'll hurt you instead!"

Locke was surprised and his expression showed it, "M-Me?!"

"Yes, if it weren't for you wanting to go on the beach I wouldn't be stuck in this—hey!"

With a quickness deserving of a thief—or treasure hunter as he'd prefer it—Locke slipped out of his shirt and took off for the jungle.

"Get back here!" Celes threw the shirt to the side and went after him.

She never lost sight of him try as he would, and she caught up to him at a thick trunk tree surrounded by thick vines hanging from the branches above his head. He was surprised at how fast she was without shoes, and tried to think on his feet on how to avoid her wrath.

Quick thinking gave him an idea and he climbed up the tree, with Celes shockingly in fast pursuit. He got to a thick limb and tried to go across it while sitting. He got farther along, and he noticed that he was surrounded by thick vines.

Then he realized how high up he was, over fifteen feet give or take and he made the rookie mistake of looking down and he felt rather small at the moment.

"This was obviously not a good move…" he felt the limb shake and he peered over to see Celes, hot fire in her eyes as she eyed him like a wild cat stalking her prey. She straddled the limb and scooted towards him. Locke had nowhere to go.

Least not yet.

"I got you now," she said rather viciously.

He gave her a charming smile that made her stop, and he had a hold of a vine in his right hand, "Are you sure about that?"

She got the message rather quickly and in an act as brave as it was careless she lunged at him. She missed but the sudden shift in weight on the limb proved too much for it to handle and it snapped. Both Locke and Celes fell with the limb, all of them getting tangled in vines. As quickly as lightning Locke handed the vine to Celes and tried to reach for another but came up short. Luckily Celes had held her grip as she fell and it slowed her fall.

The limb hit the ground first with a loud thud while Locke landed next to it, his feet hit the ground first but he rolled to avoid breaking his legs. He had done it many times in his previous adventures and did it like a pro.

"That was close…are you okay Celes?" he said as he dusted himself off before turning around, expecting to see Celes standing behind him.

Truth was, she was behind him, but not standing. In a scene one would deem comical, Celes was all tangled up in the vines, no doubt brought together when the limb fell, and she was hanging at least a foot off the ground. Vines were wrapped around her arms and a couple were around her thighs and another was around her chest. It was obvious that she wasn't comfortable.

"I-I'm stuck!"

Locke ran up to her and tried to frantically figure out how to get her loose. Had he had any of his daggers with him he would have cut her free quickly, but seeing as he had somehow lost his weapons when he had mysteriously arrived at the island, he was so out of luck at the moment. He tried to pull a vine and then tried to rip it, but it was too thick and wouldn't budge. Celes was pretty much stuck.

"I can run back and get help," he said.

Celes struggled and the grip of the vines got tighter on her, "No! You leave me here there's a good chance you won't find me again."

Locke would have argued but then he remembered that he had led her far off the beaten path when their chase had started. Celes had a point.

The adventurer examined the predicament. Celes stopped struggling as she saw Locke looking her over, and she suddenly felt helpless and vulnerable, something she was eerily familiar with.

Locke snapped his fingers, "Think you can try to pull yourself up?"

Celes looked up at her arms, tangled in vines and starting to cut off her circulation, and tried to pull herself up. She didn't get very far, but Locke had the right idea.

"No good…I need something to help push me up further," she said.

He took a step forward, hands raised, "Okay, I think I know the best way to get you out of here, but it's gonna be a bit weird for you, alright?"

Celes rolled her eyes, "How can this get any weirder for me?"

"Just making sure you know…" he said, looking rather flushed as he reached for Celes. He silently apologized for what he was about to do.

He bent down and wrapped his arms around her thighs, pressing the side of his face to Celes' stomach. Instantly her face went hot and red as she felt his hands on her rear and thighs trying to raise her up. Celes' upper body went over his right shoulder and the vines wrapped around her arms went slack. She tried to ignore what she was feeling as she frantically got her arms free, and the vine around her chest came loose soon after as did the ones around her legs. As soon as she was done getting loose Locke stepped back and lowered her to the ground.

"There, all good now, right?"

Celes gave him a very stern look and he stepped back, thinking she was going to attack him again.

Instead nodded graciously and spoke slowly, "Thank you…Locke…"

It was then that Locke noticed how red she was, her serious demeanor cracked and she looked like she was going to freak out.

She went past him, walking back towards the beach, and Locke took a deep breath of relief. He wasn't dead and he helped her out, so that's a good thing, right?


	3. Chapter 3

"Curfew is in effect, Mister Mog, and all the guests are in the hotel, kupo."

The staff of the resort was finishing up their rounds, putting papers away and cleaning up the desks while making sure everything was ready for the following morning. There was even a moogle checking the weather forecast for the next seven days, making sure the weather was in optimal conditions for a tropical vacation.

Mister Mog was floating around with his entourage of smaller moogles getting updates from them. For one moogle to run a resort was indeed a daunting challenge Mog didn't show any signs of stress at the job. He had been running it for a very long time, and had yet to run into something that would drive him nuts. Save for Kupo Nuts, that is.

He checked off a request form another moogle had offered him and moved onto another pressing matter. "By the way, I heard that the rocks behind the waterfall are cracking, kupo."

The smaller moogle named Mooge nodded, "Yes sir, kupo! Seems the gradual disintegration of the water on the rocks is making it crack."

"Why hadn't I been notified of this before? This could pose a threat to our guests, kupo!"

"We only discovered it today, kupo! A few guests notified us of rocks falling in the lagoon and we inspected it later in the afternoon. We plan to block off a section of the lagoon as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of everyone, kupo. After that we will begin working to make it stable again."

Mog sighed, "Well, least we found it before it crashed. Things could be a lot worse, kupo."

The two moogles then heard squeaking that gave them the impression that something was off. The moogle behind the large computer screen was going bonkers. So much so that his pom-pom looked like it would fly off any moment, "Mister Mog! We have a problem, kupo!"

Quickly the moogles all gathered around the desk but moved out of Mog's way when he approached, "What is it, kupo?" Going through his mind was all sorts of calamitous problems that could be the problem: ships discovering the island, an eidolon emerging from within the island, or even a swarm of vegetarian bugs that could eat the island's vegetation all went through his mind. However, none of those turned out to be the problem.

The smaller moogle brought a picture of a nasty looking storm heading towards the island, "It's terrible, kupo! Tropical storm fast approaching!"

The other moogles gave signs of panic but Mog remained steadfast.

"I see...and it doesn't look like it is going to miss us either, kupo..." There had been threats of tropical storms and hurricanes in the past but by multiple strokes of luck the resort had always been spared. This time the storm seemed to be heading right for it with no sign of diverting its path. What bothered Mog however was how fast the storm had formed; it was like it had come from out of nowhere.

"How long until it gets here, kupo?"

The moogle typed away at the keyboard and kept its eyes on the computer screen, "This time tomorrow night it will be at our doorstep, kupo. We should have visuals on it by sunrise though. We'll get the full force of it when it arrives, kupo!"

Another moogle approached the desk, "What should we do sir? We might have to lock down the island and keep everyone inside-"

Mog wasn't paying attention to anyone around him. Not out of panic or nervousness, the gears in his head were turning and protocols for such an event were beginning to be made in his mind.

He knew what needed to be done. "Nobody panic. I know what to do, kupo. It will take all night but we can do it, kupo."

Celes returned to the room she and Locke were sharing as soon as the call came to return to the hotel. She hadn't done much since the incident in the jungle, her entire body had been dirtied up and she needed to check for any injuries she may have sustained.

Locke had kept his distance, just in case she decided to return her earlier threat of hurting him badly. She spoke hardly a word since then, but he wasn't going to take any chances.

Still if there was one thing he wanted when curfew was put into effect it was food, aided by the fact that his stomach was growling. Luckily the moogles had that covered for him. A silver serving cart was at the table, lined with dishes of ham and cakes, as well as sandwiches and a couple glasses of milk.

He couldn't wait to get started. He walked up to the table and took a seat, all the while Celes watched. She was wearing a shear white jacket over her swimsuit.

"The moogles went all out for us with this feast," said Locke as he began to dive into the meal set out before him.

Celes removed the jacket she wore, and she hissed from the pain she felt all over her body. "Damn it..."

Locke heard her and looked up at her from his seat, "You okay Celes?"

Hiding the pain, Celes nodded once. "Of course, compared to battle this is nothing." She approached the table, tossing the jacket onto the back of the chair and it was then that she saw a couple bags of clothes. One of which had her name on it. She took it and looked inside to find a white garment of sorts. That is when she also noticed how dirty her hands were. "I'm going to go wash up."

Locke's mouth was too full with food to answer back. Celes took her bag and went into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

Though her entanglement with the vines hadn't looked like much at the time, Celes quickly found out otherwise. Upon removing her swimsuit she found light bruises around her thighs and under her breasts. Her chest had suffered the most in that embarrassing situation, but luckily the areas that were bruised had been hidden by her swimsuit.

Sighing lightly the ex-general decided on her next course of action. "I'll take a bath first, and then deal with the bruises afterwards."

It was awhile before Locke finished his food and about that time Celes came out of the bathroom. Her long blonde hair was wet and she was now dressed in an elegant white night gown that made her even more beautiful and attractive to the thief than she had been in her swimsuit.

This time though he didn't want her to catch him looking so he did his best to keep his eyes off her.

What Locke didn't know was that Celes had taken most o fher time rubbing lotion on her upper body. The gown she wore hid the bruises those damn vines had given her and while she didn't like wearing such a garment on a regular basis she appreciated how much it benefitted her for the time being.

Ignoring the food for the moment Celes went on over to the bed and brought to the fore front an important topic. One she knew was going to be addressed and she preferred to do it sooner rather than later, "Locke, you're sleeping on the floor."

The thief nearly choked on the chicken he was eating. "Huh?"

"There's only one bed and I don't trust you enough to let you share it with me."

"You think I will take up too much room?"

"I don't trust you to keep your hands to yourself. A man and a woman sharing a bed is not in the books for me," she said sternly. Then she added, "Especially under these circumstances."

To her surprise, Locke nodded in agreement. "I see your point…" He let her have her way. "Fine, I'll sleep on the floor. Just leave me a pillow okay?"

Celes smiled and went about getting ready for bed.


	4. Chapter 4

A rush of air caused Celes to open her eyes. Sleep hadn't been able to take hold of her at all during the night, and she was agitated. Sitting up she looked towards the source of the air, and saw that Locke had opened the balcony doors.

"Damn it...so much for cooler air-" his shoulders slumped. "And there's a storm out there, just great." The treasure hunter sighed in utter disappointment before turning away from the door. It was there that he noticed that Celes was awake. "Oh, sorry if I woke you Celes."

Pushing the blankets off her body Celes moved to have her feet on the floor. She felt her night dress sticking to her skin but while she would have no doubt freaked out about that detail were she any less mature she put it to the side. "It's fine. I wasn't totally asleep yet."

Locke went and sat down in a chair at the little table in the center of the room. He hadn't gotten much sleep either. The rise in humidity had seen to that. "This place apparently doesn't have air conditioning...that or its broken."

Getting off the bed Celes went and stood in front of the balcony doors. She had heard him speak about a storm and she wanted to know if it was true. A warm breeze came through the doors and a small flash of white light in the distance gave the former warrior the first indication of the storm in the far off horizon. The moon helped illuminate the island, but the black forms of clouds in the distance threatened to overwhelm its pale beauty.

Finding herself sighing as well Celes ran a hand over her brow to remove the sweat before crossing her arms over her chest. "A storm indeed..." She turned to Locke. "We might not be able to be outside when the sun comes up."

Locke was laying his hand down on the table. He was sitting in a questionable position but considering that eh had given up right to the bed for Celes to use he was pretty much screwed for comfort no matter what he did.

Still, he disagreed with her statement. "The storm looks to be many hours off...we might be able to spend some time outside before it gets here. That or until the heat melts us alive..." He yawned and rested his head on his hands. He was so very tired he could hardly keep his eyes open.

Feeling sorry for him Celes almost offered to share the bed with him for the next few hours, but remembering the fact that she had never shared a bed with a man for any reason before made her hesitate. She didn't quite trust him enough. Not yet.

She looked out at the island, beautifully glistening in the moonlight, and the sounds of the waves and the distant waterfall was all she could hear. Taking a deep breath Celes spoke, "...I think we should take the chance."

Locke yawned again, "Hm?"

"We should enjoy ourselves before the storm gets here...I mean, what point would it be to be here if we cannot enjoy it, right?"

The fact that she had been against having fun for any reason before and now was open to the idea made Locke roll his eyes. Then he smiled, "That sounds good." He raised his head off the table. "I'll ask around at breakfast time for the best place to go on a hot day. That should be a start."

Folding her arms under her chest Celes nodded, and for the first time since she had arrived on the island she smiled gleefully. No doubt the island was growing on her.

Looking at the large grandfather clock near the bed Celes saw that it was only past three in the morning. the sun wouldn't be up for at least another five hours. 'I better get as much rest as possible before then.' "I'm going back to bed-" she had started to speak to Locke but she saw that her words went on deaf ears. His head was hanging back in the chair and he was snoring, fast asleep.

Celes couldn't help but giggle lightly and continued to smile until she climbed into bed, after wishing Locke a peaceful sleep.

Turns out their options for being outside were more limited than they had initially thought. To the chagrin of all parties the heat was considered too dangerous to risk going out into the sun, but Locke was dead set on doing something other than be cooped up inside all day.

'A storm is coming and I sure as hell don't want to play cards or something stupid like that...'

The adventurer stood outside the bathroom door leaning against the wall. He was waiting for Celes to come out. Having eaten breakfast in quick fashion, Celes had grabbed her bag which contained her new swimsuit and had bolted into the bathroom to change. Knowing how long she was going to possibly take in there Locke changed in the corner of the bedroom. He wore a pair of red and green shorts and white shirt, a decent change of pace from the last one he had worn.

As for Celes...

The bathroom door opened and out stepped the former general, and Locke turned to her. His jaw dropped in utter shock.

The swimsuit she wore was almost nonexistent. It consisted of a thin emerald green strapless bandeau top that managed to cover her chest but just barely, and matching green bottoms that did little to hide the curves of her hips. To complete the ensemble she wore a shear white jacket meant to protect her skin from sun.

The sight of Locke looking at her made Celes feel more shy than she had the day before. Her face turned as red as his. "Stop it, please..."

Like a trap door Locke snapped his mouth shut, so hard that his teeth smacked together. "Sorry...just...seeing you as a soldier most of the time it's just-"

"Weird to see me wear this?"

He tried to assure her that that was not what he meant, "No, I just meant that despite being a soldier there is a more elegant side of you that you should show more." He went up to her, taking hold of her hands in his own, "I think seeing this side of you is refreshing, to be honest."

Surprised by his honesty and words Celes lowered her chin.

Locke lowered himself to a knee to look into her eyes, "Let's go enjoy ourselves before that damn storm gets here. Then we can be depressed for the rest of the night. Sound fair?"

Celes smiled lightly, "If that sounds good to you it sure sounds good to me."

The treasure hunter got on his feet and went towards the door.

"However..."

He stopped and turned back to the soldier, "Huh?"

"Just keep the staring to a minimum okay? I feel on edge in this thing to begin with..." she said rather sheepishly.

"Sure. If you have any trouble at all with anything, just let me know okay? I'll come to your rescue as fast as I can," replied Locke.

He expected Celes to sound grateful until he realized he made her sound like a damsel in distress and realized he had made a mistake.

And she noticed it big time. That blow to her pride, while unintentional, felt like a slap to the face. She raised her chin and walked past him without a second look, and slammed the door behind her.

Locke's shoulders drooped, "Jeez...can't catch a break, can I?"


End file.
